For best results, I import the weights directly. This gives me the same resolution for layers as the landscape mesh itself, and I can edit/fine-tune them later in the editor as needed.
Start-To-End Instructions
- Export your snow & ground heightmaps (NOT bitmaps) from World Machine as 8-bit RAW heightmaps. Save landscape heightmap as RAW16, as usual.
- Setup your material with all of the proper layer names you exported in Step 1. As you already have pictured a Ground and Snow layer, you can go to the next step.
- Create a new Landscape. At the top, click “Import from File”. Choose your landscape Heightmap file.
- Set the Material to the one you created in step 2.
- Expand the “Layers” section. There will be 1 entry for each Layer in your material.
- Assign/Create a LayerInfo for each entry. Weight-blended will mix it all to a of 1, while non-blended layers will let you paint every layer up to 1. I recommend using Weight blended, but you should ensure that your layers don’t overlap in World Machine.
- Under the LayerInfo is a file listing. Select the 8-bit RAW file you created in step 1 for each corresponding entry.
- Fill out any location, rotation or scale data you want, then click Import.
This will leave you with a landscape that can be painted to change any aspect, as if you had hand-painted it completely in Unreal.
Oh, and you can reimport every layer if you update your WorldMachine build. I’m currently working on a WM Macro that will help with exporting this data. Not ready to release it yet…
Here’s an example of this process:
